Victoria Azarenka swept the final nine games on Monday and advanced to the quarterfinals at the French Open by beating 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-0.
There were four consecutive service breaks before Azarenka took the lead for good, holding to make it 4-3. The superior pace and depth of her shots began to wear on the unseeded Schiavone, and Azarenka took charge by winning 11 of 12 points during a stretch late in the first set.
The Belarusian broke serve seven times and committed only 14 unforced errors.
Azarenka next plays Maria Kirilenko, who reached her first French Open quarterfinal by ending the surprising run of American Bethanie Mattek-Sands with a 7-5, 6-4 victory.
She trailed 4-1 at the start against Mattek-Sands, who stunned 2011 French Open champion Li Na in the second round.
But Mattek-Sands’ lead began slipping away, and while ahead 5-4, she asked for medical attention. From there, Kirilenko won four games in a row.
